V35-2005

my car is finally ready for this trackday - a big thank you goes out to John (Marvey Tech) for rewiring my battery cut off and thermo fan in the searing heat yesterday. his workshop is definitely still next door to Morpowa and i got to have a look at Simon's 2J racecar before he went out to Mallala again that day (crazy in that heat). John will also be joining us out at Mallala next week with his S13 for a bit of grip practice

the event will run in rain, hail or shine. if it's still hot, then we'll end up going slower (turbos more so than the NA guys) and it is certainly more interesting in the wet. either way, the point of the day is to learn car control and improve your racing lines around the circuit. so, one week to go! don't forget to read the recommendations that are listed on your receipt from John Bowe Driving re metal valve caps, appropriate clothing, no spectators, cancellation procedure, etc. no helmet = no drive For those who have been out on one of these days before, the following is good revision. For those who haven't, this will be useful in your preparation. This list has been compiled from the group's experiences over the last couple of years, so ignore the recommendations at your own peril. Mandatory: (Not Negotiable. DON'T HAVE = CAN'T DRIVE) * full face / open face helmet (MUST HAVE) - motorcycle helmets are fine, Australian Standard AS1698 helmets are preferred minimum * long sleeved shirt (cotton/non-synthetic material) * long pants (no shorts!) * metal tire valve caps (if you don't have them, then start looking to buy now) * increase tire pressure by 8-10psi for street tires * full tank of fuel (98RON recommended) Rationale: higher tire pressures mean stiffer sidewalls, so less deformation during cornering. We recommend starting high (usually 38psi cold for 17" tires) before leaving Adelaide as you can always let them down to the desired levels when you're at Mallala - there aren't any tire pumps at the track. Long sleeved clothing will protect you a couple of seconds more in case of fire and cotton won't melt like synthetics will. If you have a racesuit or Nomex clothing, you're welcome to wear it - those who laugh at that stuff won't be laughing when they're on fire. Recommended: * thin soled shoes (eg. Puma motorsport range - Future Cat / Speed Cat) * driving gloves * cap/hat (to save you from having helmet hair when you're out of the car!) * sunscreen + Aeroguard * tire pressure gauge * fire extinguisher (secured) * tool kit / socket set * wheel chocks (leave handbrake OFF after lapping) * octane boost * extra fuel (enough to get to nearest BP Gawler or BP Bolivar 35km away) * remove loose objects from vehicle interior Rationale: You will get better pedal feel and control with driving shoes rather than work boots. Your palms will get sweaty in the heat, so driving gloves help you to grip the steering wheel better. There's no shade on the track and the sun is pretty harsh out there, so protect yourself with some sunscreen. If it's a hot day, there will be hundreds of flies at Mallala and they're bloody annoying, so don't forget the Aeroguard! Hopefully you won't have to use a fire extinguisher, but it will be handy in case someone else is in trouble nearby. The tool kit is useful for tightening things up in case they fall off or hoses pop off (it has happened to a few of us before). And DON'T use your handbrake when parking in the pits after doing hard laps - it may fuse to your rear brakes if they're too hot or you'll leave an imprint of the hot pad on the rotor at the very least. Octane boost is a good safety measure. The fuel pump at Mallala may not be available on our day, so best to bring an extra jerry can of fuel to top up at lunchtime. The turbo charged cars will be thirsty and you want to prevent low fuel starvation when cornering by not having a an empty tank.

Mawson Lakes hotel seems to be the front runner at the moment (thanks Dohmar!) lets hope that the cool change next Friday extends to the trackday...

that's a bit of worry since i'm booked in to see John tomorrow morning (11 hours from now) - you'd think he would have mentioned that he's not there anymore on the phone to me yesterday...! ... but Heslo's right - the transmission workshop next door to Marvey Tech has gone and is the space that's up for lease

well, after a couple of years of not reading the V35 subforum, this is the first thread here that i have read and i must say that i'm impressed with Andy's persistence with this issue. however, it is a pity that half way through reading all 27 pages i was disappointed to discover that this won't work for my late model 2005 V35 anyway, hope that the software works for you guys! cheers - Kim

i heard that you now have a '35 - will be good to see it on the track soon as i haven't seen any V35's out there before (aside from mine out there last month) perhaps we should organise an SA V35 meet sometime? there may be a thread on this already but i haven't had a chance to read all of the V35 subforum yet...

however, this did bump the thread to bring it to my attention! i have a dark silver 2005 V35 350GT sedan which many of you guys saw at the Advanced Driving trackday and the recent private trackday. it's a Series2 so it has the stove top tail lights which makes it look more like a Skyline than a Maxima. VQ35 auto with silver BBS LM's and Nismo S-Tune suspension. otherwise it's very stock. i now know where the V35 section is on here so will post up some pics.

that's not a bad suggestion - it would have large flat carparks and is not too far off the road the southern guys would take to go home. I've tended to go to the Tap Inn in Kent Town and The Maid (and Magpie) over the years but that may not suit the northern guys. so Mawson Lakes would be a good compromise (and not too far from Mallala for a drink)

+1 for Marvey Tech (next to Morpowa) for audio and security

any thoughts on where to go for a post trackday beer + schnitzel to wait out peak hour traffic to home? need a pub that would suit most people (northern & southerners) and has a decent car park.

depends what rotors and pads they quoted you for $1200 and which workshop quoted you...

unfortunately, no. wasn't not enough time to get the engineering done, pass Regency, and have it all back together for this trackday. plus i need a few days to get used to driving this car around again and bed the new brakes in. so with work and everything else the next two weeks will pass by quickly enough. the V35 auto and the Subie daily are a lot different to the multi-plate clunking short shifting suspension creaking Supra!

Supra is almost ready! I got it back on Thursday after a month in the workshop but it's been so long since i last drove it properly (eight months!) and it'll take me a while to get used to it with all the new mods that i'll be taking it easy for the first few sessions. OS Giken twin plate, sway bars, and Endless semi-race pads along with new wheel bearings, oil cooler ducting, and lots of little reliability upgrades. brakes could be bigger though - only have 340mm 4-piston fronts on so nothing fantastic.

looks like this will be final lineup: 1. writeoff 2. Joshdc 3. Moodles2 4. 32godzilla 5. Mark (32godzilla's +1) 6. Red Back 7. heslo 8. Bengi 9. Nightcrawler 10. Luke_ENR34 11. Glenn (heslo +1) 12. Jugs (heslo +2) 13. V35-2005 14. GUNR35 i am glad to report that we will have an R35 GTR with us - my mate Nick has had the first service done on his and is looking forward to unleashing the R35 out there. i had a drive in it today and it sounds awesome from inside the cabin.

three weeks to go guys! who else is going?

Pat's S14, a sedate V35, and it's fire breathing cousin the R35: random people in the crowd: end of the day with people changing their brakes in the garages:

ahh, my uneducated mistake! mea culpa! glad to hear that you had fun with it but don't get tempted to mod it more! focus on the GTR! (when u get it back)

and for those who didn't make it to the pub for lunch - it was well worth the trip...

had an awesome day at Mallala today! great weather, a great bunch of cars, and a good bunch of people out there. i was quite pleased with how the V35 went - it drove well for a relatively stock car (only Nismo S-tune suspension and bottom of the range Endless VN8500 pads) and was very comfortable around the circuit today. suspension was nice and flat around corners with no obvious fade from the brakes from a couple of laps (could have done with a bit more bite and braking force though). preempting the auto box's laggy shifting during manual override took a bit of getting used to, but the perceptible delay with the electronic throttle was annoying and made throttle control on corner exits difficult. however, the NA only used half a tank of fuel today so i didn't need to bring the extra 20L fuel after all! a bunch of 1'34 laps from an auto 143rwkw NA family sedan was a pleasant surprise. and it could take four to the pub at lunchtime with ease after running those laps! thanks to Luke, Glenn and Jugz for helping to time me during the day after my lap timer decided to go flat after only my second lap this morning (i now know that the LCD display battery lasts for about 2.5 years!). it would have been great to go harder for a few more seconds off, but i was very conscious about pushing it too far and into a wall. in the end, i drove home in quiet air-conditioned comfort, gave it a wash, and it was like i was never there... all ready for the missus to take to work tomorrow morning! overall, i'm glad that i didn't break anything (i haven't noticed any problems yet!) and was very relieved that i didn't spin or go off road. the Spin King award should definitely go to David and his Pug for an impressive number of spins in one day! big points to him for driving that little 206 flat out all day. many thanks to Adrian (rad32) for organising this event. it was a fantastic opportunity for me to get some practice and i am now looking forward to the November trackday where i hope to improve on my PB of 1'23.05 with the other car. i'll be heading out there for one last push with the stock turbos...

yeah, lugging a trailer with a car on it isn't much fun - quite stressful in fact. strap her down real tight! I've refueled, checked my tire pressures (38psi cold), and remembered my wheel chock (don't use handbrake with hot brakes!). now just have to find my long sleeved top and a cap to avoid helmet hair don't forget the Aeroguard! damn flies out there...

everyone still on for breakfast at Vilis 6am? and i've decided to drive the V35 out there tomorrow so i'm back on track so to speak

the schnitties at the pub are good but no drinking and drifting, mkay?

ok ok, i'll bring the daily. some track time is better than no track time at all otherwise people can PM me if they really want my spot ($) it would be nice if a local dealer had race pads on the shelf for Brembo F50 brakes. can anyone get me a set by Monday?

a set of new brakepads - i had asked Endless Australia to send us a set of fronts asap and that the rears from Japan could wait until after the trackday. however, there seems to be have been some confusion somewhere along the line and i now suspect that i'm getting the fronts when the rear set arrives from Japan which looks to be AFTER the event. the ironic thing is that i'm the Endless reseller and i should have organised this a month ago. hindsight is perfect (sigh). my advice to those who are planning mods for the Nov23 trackday is to get all the work done in the next fortnight as it's only four weeks after this trackday.

problem = critical parts for my car did not arrive today so i may not be ready for the trackday unless they arrive on Monday morning and i get there late. dilemma = do i take the daily driver out there anyway and cut some laps for fun or does someone want to take my place at this eleventh hour?